"Acronymic" Beauty

The IRA…

What does it stand for? Is it an Individual Retirement Account? The equivalent of an IPA with automatic weapons—you know, the India Red Ale? Which lead me to: maybe it’s just the Irish Republican Army?

Last night I was out with some new (and some not-so-new) friends when I found an IRA (of the beer variety) on the menu. Spurred by curiosity, and one of our beer drinkers spouting the ‘automatic weapons’ remark (thank you Sean), I started reflecting on the use of acronyms…

Hmmm... what will it be today, an IPA, or an IPL?

Uses of acronyms are everywhere, and they affect us constantly (whether we realize it or not). Whether it’s the sudden realization that you’re interviewing with the big head-honcho (CEO), or you’re just really angry at someone in traffic, but too tired to speak all the words (S-O-B), they are all around us, and they can make our life easier, making us sound more ‘sophisticated’… or does it just complicate things too much?

Two areas in which I use them: my beer interests, and my work in “IT.” The latter primarily being Microsoft. So whether it’s IPAs or CDAs, BDNs or VPNs, I just can’t get away from acronyms!

I know at MS, it seems like the more you use them, the more people take you seriously… there’s this subtle respect and intelligence that seems to be connected to their use while working with the big software giant, and with so many IT processes to consider, using them is so unavoidable… otherwise, with all those acronyms spoken in full, a 5-minute conversation could easily be 20!

By no means is this post intended as a rant. Call it humorous reflection, as I totally ‘get’ the validity of their use; or just call this some “acronym awareness,” the big AA. Or is that acronym already taken?

Where the use often gets messy for me:

1. When their meaning gets lost in conversation, and we assume we all understand (such as when someone in conversation uses multiple acronyms in the same sentence, and our heads get so befuddled just trying to ‘track’ and follow the speaker of those aforementioned cursed letters as we struggle to parse their code) or…
2. They have multiple meanings that depend on the context of their use (like the IRA). Then it just gets silly!

So how do they affect our experience? Do they make situations more memorable? 

Sometimes we even create a process, service or product based on how it will sound as an acronym. That could be just to sound ‘cool,’ or better yet, to get the letter to ‘stick,’ and actually be memorable as a process.

When the letters ‘stick,’ does it actually help? It seems to for me. Training processes such as “ADDIE” will never be forgotten now!

I think this week I don’t have a Major Message (aka “MM”), other than to try to pay attention to their use, and the intention behind them. It’s interesting to consider how much we rely on language and the use of letters to communicate. Do acronyms deepen the value of your communication? When do they help, and when do they hinder? Do you need to carry your abbreviation list wherever you go? Do you have to record conversations to be able to reply and parse their code? Maybe you know certain letter combinations so well that it’s not a problem. For many, I’m sure that’s the case.

What works best for you, so that the language used actually benefits your communication, making it more meaningful? 

Ok, that’s all I’ve got for now. I know I’m not the only one out there that gets lost, confused, frustrated or pleasantly amused when engaged in conversations of this nature. Ultimately, maybe the big ‘value-add’ for this particular post may involve the use of a little SEO, so the world will be able to locate all the “infinite value” in my writing this week. 

;)

See you soon-

m

P.S. Some parsed code, for those who may need it…
SEO = Search Engine Optimization.